The Star Power of Jay-Z's New Sports Agency

Tuesday's news that Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano is leaving top agent Scott Boras to sign with Jay-Z's newly formed Roc Nation Sports wasn't a total surprise, mostly because there doesn't seem to be a single thing the rap mogul can't do, and because there's not a single person who doesn't want to work with him.

But unlike fellow rapper Master P's failed venture, No Limit Sports, which features a diamond-studded tank rolling over equipment on its website (as well as the misspelling of its top client's name), we know Jay-Z isn't simply posturing because hanging with athletes creates social currency. On the contrary, Jay-Z is the one bringing swagger to his clients.

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Because, despite Cano being arguably the best player on the world's most popular team, no one outside baseball circles knows much about him, a four-time All-Star and perennial MVP candidate with an impressive lifetime batting average of .308. And, quite honestly, no one would care about him, except that now, instead of Whitey McMoneybags representing him, Cano has Jay-fking-Z. How many other stars would love to say that?

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The rapper isn't actually certified as an agent yet, and will start out operating with a net after signing an agreement with CAA; a deal effectively makes him the figurehead of an operation that's actually run by Brodie Van Wagenen, a former Stanford outfielder who's signed up nearly $1.1 billion in baseball contracts early in his career.

"Jay and I will both be involved in all aspects of Robinson's representation on and off the field," Van Wagenen told the AP, which means what Cano really signed up for was the Jay-Z swagger and one of the best up-and-coming agents to back it up. So the game's actually the same, just got more fierce, and Cano's about to have about $100 million in Yankees cash to prove it.